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“Daddy said you’re coming to stay with us,” Maddie said.
That had been a bone of contention over the last few days since Gram and the doctors had started talking about discharge. She had been in the hospital for two weeks, so it wasn’t surprising that she wanted to go home to her own place. But the doctors had said she shouldn’t be alone right after discharge, since she might become weak and lightheaded. I waited for the argument to come again today. Shockingly, it didn’t.
“That’s right, my love.” She tapped her finger on Maddie’s nose. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Gram’s smile seemed to glitter as much as her eyeshadow. And the fact that she’d come around to the idea of staying with me without another fight made me think I should be scared. But maybe she was starting to feel the weakness the doctors had warned about. Either way, I thought it was best not to look a gift horse in the mouth. So I took a seat at the foot of the bed and watched as Gram colored my six-year-old’s eyelids with purple sparkly shit.
A nurse walked in as they were finishing up. “Hey, Ms. Aster.” She looked at Maddie and smiled. “Oh, hello. Who do we have here? I love your eyeshadow.”
My daughter beamed. “I’m Maddie. I’m six years old, and this is my Gigi.”
“My goodness, look at all those badges. Are they all yours?”
Maddie nodded. “I’m going to earn them all.”
The nurse smiled. “Well, if you’re as determined as your great grandmother, I have no doubt that you will.” The nurse spoke to Gram. “I’m just finishing up with your discharge paperwork. Give me about fifteen minutes, and I’ll come in and take out your port. Then we can go over your medication and discharge instructions so you can bust out of here.”
“Thanks, Lena.”
As she walked out, Nora walked in.
I hadn’t seen her since our infamous limousine ride home, though I’d replayed it a million times since then. I’d also broken down and called her twice, but each time my call went to voicemail. I didn’t leave a message, since her messages to me had been loud and clear since the start.
“Hey.” Nora smiled. “How you doing, Beck?”
She had on another sundress, and my mind immediately went to what I’d done to her under the table, how I’d had to kiss her to stifle the moan as she came all over my hand. That sound was better than porn.
Nora walked over to Maddie and Gram with a smile. “You must be Maddie.”
Maddie nodded and pointed to her eyes. “Gigi did my makeup.”
“I see that. It’s very pretty.”
“Do you work for my dad?”
Nora shook her head. “No, I don’t. I’m actually a friend of your great grandmother’s.”
“What made you ask that, Maddie?” I said.
She shrugged. “Because the only time I ever see you with girls is at work.”
It’s funny to get a kid’s perspective. Maddie was right that I didn’t bring women I went out with around her. I didn’t want to introduce her to anyone unless that person was sticking around for a while. And there hadn’t been any of those since my divorce.
Maddie looked at Nora. “Do you have a boyfriend?”
“Maddie,” I scolded. “It’s not nice to ask people that type of stuff.”
“How come?”
“You know how I told you some questions are private?”
“Like the lady I asked if she was having a baby?”
“Oh boy.” Nora chuckled.
I nodded. “Yeah, she was probably sixty and definitely wasn’t.” I spoke to my daughter. “Yes, questions like that—we went over this. You don’t ask questions about age, babies, girlfriends and boyfriends, money, or God to strangers.”
Nora smiled at Maddie. “You should listen to your dad. But also, no, I don’t have a boyfriend.”
